Title: Identify the structures, functions, and surgical pathologies of the respiratory system.
Course: Surgical Technologist I (14056-I) > Section: Understanding Structures, Functions, and Surgical Pathologies of Body Systems

Identification should include

- the process of pulmonary ventilation
- external and internal respiration
- the structure and function of organs of the respiratory system
- the pathway of gases
- the transportation of oxygen and carbon dioxide in blood
- comparison of air pressures
- the production of carbonic acid
- pathologies (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, asthma, tumors).

Process/Skill Questions:

- How are oxygen and carbon dioxide transported in the blood? What is the role of each in respiration?
- What are the factors that regulate respiration? How do they work?
- How is carbonic acid produced and eliminated by the body? How is this process related to respiration? What are the implications for surgery?
- What is the relationship between respiration and acid-base balance?
- What is the relationship between measurements of lung volume and respiratory sufficiency?
- What is hyperventilation? How is it controlled?
- How does aging affect the respiratory system? How might the patient’s age affect a physician’s decisions during surgery?